UAlbany Receives INSIGHT Into Academia Magazine’s 2025 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award

(Photo by Patrick Dodson)

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 15, 2025) — Today, the University at Albany’s EXCELlence in STEM Program received the 2025 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Academia magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education.

The award honors colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics or STEM fields. UAlbany will be featured, along with 57 other recipients, in the June 2025 issue of INSIGHT Into Academia magazine.

“Inclusive excellence, in part, is providing spaces and opportunities for students to thrive in the areas of learning and research, while engaging in supporting learning communities,” said Samuel Caldwell, chief diversity officer and vice president of Inclusive Excellence at UAlbany. “Innovative initiatives, such as EXCELlence in STEM are an example of what makes the University the Albany, a leading diverse R1 university, a place where scholars are able to flourish because of our deep commitment to transforming STEM education—ensuring that all students, from all backgrounds, are able to flourish, succeed, and influence the future of science through study, research and service.”

UAlbany launched its EXCELlence in STEM program in 2022 with support from a $2.5 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The program was developed from UAlbany’s extensive support and initially provided students with free, highly structured tutoring in lower division undergraduate biology, chemistry and physics courses. The program was expanded to all incoming STEM majors and currently offers students with tutors, academic advisors and financial aid counselors and real-time monitoring, which further supports students with rapid intervention at the earliest signs of academic distress. Financial support is also available for students for summer research programs, as are microgrants for those facing relatively modest financial hurdles that threaten to derail their academic career. The program has shown high rates of success across all demographics, particularly among students from underrepresented backgrounds.

The program was developed to overcome bias in traditional teaching methods by encouraging faculty to restructure their syllabi and teaching approaches in ways that engage and support learners from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.

Award winners were selected by INSIGHT Into Academia based on efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in STEM through mentoring, teaching, research and successful programs and initiatives.

A call for nominations for this award was announced in December 2024.

For more information about the award and INSIGHT Into Academia magazine, visit insightintoacademia.com.